


An unusual man

by Devarsi



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 05:00:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6105703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Devarsi/pseuds/Devarsi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The general of the minutemen keeps bringing tamed animals back to Sanctuary hills.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An unusual man

 

The general was an unusual man - far kinder than many in the commonwealth, eager to help people however he could without ever asking for payment. Preston had appreciated the man's kindness more and more as time passed and the settlements began to grow, and it was months before he stopped being surprised at the general's enthusiasm for helping a world he didn't truly fit in to.

He was surprised, however, when he walked in the door to the general's home to tell him about the new settlers and saw Samuel with a disgusting mole rat.

Immediately his hands went to his rifle before he could think about why the General had a mole rat of all things scurrying around the house, but he was interrupted by the man jumping up, nearly tripping over himself to run over and grab Preston's arm.

"No, no, I brought it!"

Preston's hand still rested on the grip of his gun, but he just stared at the ugly creature which was snuffling at a table leg.

"You...brought it?"

The general nodded enthusiastically, returning to crouch next to the animal, lightly patting it as if it wasn't horrendously disgusting. Preston tensed, but it didn't bite him, too busy investigating his unusual surroundings.

"Yeah, I used to have a pet rat before the war. They weren't really anything like this, but I guess I was just feeling a bit nostalgic. You can pet him, he won't bite."

"...I'll pass."

The man just shrugged, and gestured towards one of the unused rooms.

"They live in groups. There are two more in there. I thought I'd keep some pets, not that dogmeat's not great and all, I just never was much of a dog person, myself. I'm going to go hunting for some sort of enclosure for them, but for now I've got the room set up for them." He scooped up the creature - Preston was seriously having a hard time looking away from those weirdly huge teeth - and gave him a lopsided grin. "I'm no expert on the husbandry of irradiated animals, but how hard can it be?"

With that he turned, going to put the thing with its strange cousins.

Preston was afraid to ask who the general was planning on asking to feed the things while he was gone.

-

It turns out mutant naked mole rat care was, in fact, not very easy. The three of them had disappeared that night through a hole in the wall Samuel had missed, but the man didn't seem too upset. He just shrugged and muttered something about not being as good as a dumbo.

Life continued fairly normally from there, excluding The Incident with the mirelurk hatching, which Preston was thankful for. He was far more comfortable with Dogmeat, who he heard barking happily in the distance, heralding the general's return. Preston smiled - the man had been gone for several days, and he'd started to worry. The commonwealth needed him still.

He walked to the guard post, waving at the familiar figure approaching before squinting. Was that -?

"Don't shoot!" the man called as the settler at Preston's side lifted the barrel of his gun, "It's pacified!"

Preston's fears were confirmed as the group approached, Dogmeat bounding ahead to reach Preston first, who absently scratched at the mutt's ears as his eyes went wide at the general's new find.

Samuel was a tall man who made a dashing figure in the general uniform, but he looked small and curiously fragile next to the giant bear currently staring Preston down.

"That's a yao guai!" the same settler shouted, not yet putting down his gun.

"Yep!" the general grinned.

Preston paused as if he wanted to say something, before shaking his head, turning, and walking away, muttering under his breath.

-

"Look, you're a good general and a better friend. But this is ridiculous, man."

The yao guai, unfortunately, had stayed. It turned out the general had an easier time taking care of giant irradiated bears, and the thing now had its own area of the settlement to itself. If nothing else, it sure would serve to scare any aggressive raiders half to death. Every morning as Preston patrolled around Sanctuary hills the damnable thing stared at him, and despite the general's reassurances that it was perfectly friendly he swore the thing was going to be the death of him.

It was a week before the general had brought back something else. The bundle was wrapped in his arms, and he could barely see the blanket moving as the thing within breathed.

"It was hurt, Preston. It's momma was killed, it can't survive on its own."

Preston cared about animals, but Samuel looked positively heart-broken, as if it were an injured human child, gazing mournfully at Preston.

"You have a bear here, remember? There's no way it won't end up eating it."

Samuel huffed, finally setting his find down on the ratty couch and pulling away the blanket, to the shivering dismay of the creature. It was a baby radstag, shivering as it stared at Preston. Why did all these animals keep staring at him? He shook his head.

"They'll be fine. Yogi won't attack anyone without me telling him to, and that includes Bambi here." he waved a hand at the tiny spotted creature that still hadn't stopped giving Preston that look. It was injured, that much was obvious, but it was impossible to tell how severe it was without inspecting it closer. Samuel had wrapped it up to some extent with old rags, but it would need more than that.

"This is a terrible idea," he said, but he finally relented to those unnaturally sad eyes, ignoring the general's wide grin as he turned to find some bandages.

"I've been thinking on the way over here, and I think I know the perfect place for this lil' guy to stay. We have some extra wood, I'll build -"

Preston was only half-listening as the man continued, not noticing the small smile Preston couldn't manage to stifle as he returned with supplies, shaking his head as Samuel delicately dabbed at the animal's wounds. 

"Hey, Preston?"

"Hmm?"

"How do you feel about mutant hounds?"


End file.
